The Malling Centenary has been praised for its deeper flavour and long shelf life

They have long been recognised as being among the best in the world and a symbol of an idyllic British summer.

But it seems British strawberries could become even tastier after researchers developed a new variety.

The Malling Centenary, developed by researchers in Kent and praised for its deeper flavour, has this summer become widely available in shops across the country.

Supermarkets and breeders have been testing new varieties in the hope of producing a crop with more flavour.

And after eight years of research, the Malling Centenary, which retains its taste and shape despite packing and picking, is expected to fly off shelves.

The Dutch Elsanta, one of the most common varieties of strawberry, has been praised by growers because of its high yields.

But, because the Elsanta is produced to have a long shelf life, many have described the berries as ‘tasteless’.

The Sonata, the other most common variety, is also popular with sellers because of its ability to flourish in hot weather or during periods of heavy rain.

Laurence Olins, the chairman of British Summer Fruits, the body which represents U.K berry growers, told the Observer: ‘I think within a year or two you won’t see Elsanta or Sonata any more.’

Mr Olins added that the Elsanta was not ‘as sweet’ or as ‘big’ as the Malling Centenary.

Sainsbury’s also said that, despite the Elsanta previously being the ‘backbone’ of the industry, it was seeing a shift towards the Malling Centenary.

Maddie Wilson, the category technical manager for fruit at the supermarket giant, told the newspaper that she expected the Malling Centenary to begin taking over within the next three or four years.

Describing what makes a winning strawberry, she said: ‘The holy grail is finding something that is a grower’s dream: easy to plant, yields well, performs well in different weather and gets the right size of fruit, the plants last a long time, taste delicious and look lovely.’

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During a survey, carried out by Cambridge Market Research and published in the Fresh Produce Journal last week, those polled were asked to rank supermarket strawberries.

Marks & Spencer’s Driscoll Elizabeth strawberry came up tops, described as ‘juicy’ and ‘tasty’ followed by Tesco’s Malling Centenary punnet with tasters describing the berries as ‘fresh’, good value for money and ‘nice and sweet’.

Over the course of the summer, 74,000 strawberries are expected to be produced in Britain – an 11 per cent rise on last year.

Berry sales now make up for 21 per cent of the total fruit consumption in the UK. The demand for berries in Britain has soared by 132 per cent over the last decade, Seasonal Berries, part of British Summer Fruits, reported.

The Malling Centenary, created by East Malling Research, an agricultural research institution in Kent, was originally released to a limited number of suppliers in 2013 to mark the group’s 100th anniversary.

But following a surge in popularity, it was then released to major supermarkets – many of whom have now included it on their preferred list of varieties.

At this year’s Grower Awards in February, the success story was recognised after the Malling Centenary was awarded the title of ‘best new variety (fruit)’.

The Malling Centenary, developed by researchers in Kent, has this summer become widely available in shops across the country (stock image)